In Christian Parenti’s Tropic of Chaos, there was a chapter on how India and Pakistan have a water treaty and it got me thinking about what that looks like today. Because the book was published in 2011, I thought a lot of things would be different when it comes to the Indus Water Treaty of 1960. A passage on page 129 explains that India believed they were using its rivers in a way that’s fair, but Pakistan thought they’re overusing their share of the rivers and obstructing their water rights. With the tensions between the two countries when the book was written, I assumed that things would have gotten worse. It’s been a long time since the book’s publication and even longer since the treaty was formed so I looked into what that treaty looks like now. Apparently the treaty is still active between the two countries, even though indianexpress.com tells us that the two countries consider the treaty to be unfinished. Pakistan has questions about if India is staying to the correct engineering projects necessary for the treaty. They’re worried that India is violating some of the terms of the agreement. Even though they follow all of the restrictions, India sometimes considers dropping out of the treaty altogether. And thediplomat.com argues that India “has no obligation to continue with the treaty” and could renegotiate to receive better benefits. Either way, the treaty needs to be updated often by both parties together. India and Pakistan are supposed to meet every year to discuss the agreement. They keep to that schedule really well, except for when covid-19 put a halt to everything. So in march of 2021, they were able to meet for the first time in a few years. Everything went well and everyone was polite and amicable. But I don't think there was enough attention devoted to how the treaty should be modified to adapt or combat climate change issues. One article on thehindu.com claims “[p]resent day pressing issues such as climate change, global warming, and environmental impact assessment were not taken into account by the treaty,...” and I think that without acknowledging any of these, there’s not a fair way to decide if one party is actually at fault or obstructing the rights of the other party. Climate change has already affected everyone involved, especially when it comes to the river system. Monsoons, mountain runoff, and drought all directly affect the river systems discussed under the treaty. So without talking about issues like that, the legislature isn’t sure to be very helpful to either side and can make tensions even worse. There isn’t another meeting scheduled yet, so I wonder when or if climate change issues will come up in relation to the treaty.
You did a great job of giving a clear picture of how the water treaty is viewed and what it is like today. I wonder if Pakistan and India will join together or stray apart when climate change makes things in worse with the rivers in the area. This was a very interesting and intriguing topic to read about. Great job.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting how these issues began because of miscommunications between the two countries. I wonder if this could have been prevented with some better communication?
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more about who we have to blame. We all have apart in this we need to put some solutions into gear.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that it is an abdication of responsibility by India and Pakistan to not discuss how to limit the development of climate change. As you mentioned, Pakistan and India have a vested interest in climate change because it has already affected both countries; hopefully, that will be a priority for both countries the next time they meet.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you truly added to Parenti's information. I find it insightful that the treaty is still on going but both sides aren't truly satisfied. To make matters worse, Covid halted all on going talks and didn't let both parties truly meet. Great job at adding information and giving us an update on the situation.
ReplyDeleteI actually smiled knowing that Water treaty between the 2 parties are still intact, being greedy in a resource that is super valuable to both parties wouldn't be an optimal move on either parties front. it's always better to compromise first than resort to violence and have issues bred from said violence that can cost human lives in the grand scheme of things.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that you really put emphasis on the treaty in your blog post. About how India really doesn't need to follow the treaty anymore and could easily just get up and leave or ask for better treatment within the treaty.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that this water treaty needs to be updated and revised because it is heavily out dated. But do you think these to nations will go down that diplomatic route. I personally don't think either countries would be able to reach a consciences that is equal in both their eyes.
ReplyDeleteI'm certain the climate crisis will come up in relation to the treaty eventually. Being less ignorable with time, and all. However the meeting taking place last march is at least one good sign though. I did like that even if the climate didn't really come up that much. Trust needs to be built between them before anything else I suppose. By the way I like the way you included your links :) Nice editing.
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